Detachable heel



. MOSES LAMPKIN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

DE'IAGHABLE HEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented fay 24L, 1921.

Application filed May 7, 1920. Serial No. 379,564.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Mosns LAMPKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Detachable Heel, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to detachable heels.

The object is to provide a heel formed of rubber, leather, or other suitable material, for use upon shoes which, when they become worn, may be readily replaced by a person unskilled in the art, and which may be held in position without the necessity for driving nails through the heel to hold the same in position, so that the maximum amount of resiliency therein may be retained for the cushioning effect to the wearer.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which may be quickly attached to the heels of mens or womens shoes, regardless of the nature of the material of which they are composed, and which may be as easily removed therefrom for the purposes of replacement, the heel attachment being in the nature of a lift and having co-acting parts for connection with other co-acting parts formed in the base of the heel proper, and held in place by a screw and a keeper-plate located in a partially hidden position at the front of the heel and readily accessible for removal.

A still further object is to provide a dctachable heel or lift which when become worn on one side or edge which most frequently happens, may be removed from its engagement with the heel and changed to the other heel so that its unworn side may be subjected to the wearing action, thus prolonging the life of the heel.

A. full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modlfications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claim.

In the drawing, in which similar refer ence characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures L Figure 1 is a perspective view of the heel port on of a ladys shoe, showing the heel or 11ft 1n posltion and held by the improved means;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the same;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the subject matter of Fig. 2 and showing the retaining plate elevated to release the heel or lift;

Fig. 4c is a bottom plan view of the heel of the shoe.

While the improved detachable heel or 11ft is shown in the drawing applied to the heel of a ladys shoe, it is to be understood that the invention may be as readily applied to heels of other shoes, providing the same are of suflicient height to permit of the application of certain holding means about to be described. The heel of the shoe may be equipped for use in connection with the lift herein disclosed no matter of what material the same may be composed, any of the materials commonly used as leather, wood, aluminum, etc, being susceptible of forming the necessary co-acting member for connection with the said lift.

The heel 1, which is generally provided with a flat front surface 2 arranged at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the shoe, is provided in its bottom surface with an undercut seat 3 having a contour concentric with the curvature of the heel proper, which ordinarily is slightly more than a semicircle, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing.

The seat 3 is provided with an inwardly extending flange 4 continued around the entire inner wall thereof, and having straight forward extremities lying parallel with the straight sides of the heel, thus providing an entrance opening to the seat at the front flat wall of the heel 1. The lower face of the flange 4 is flush with the bottom of the heel and, being formed integrally with the heel, provides a strong supporting means for co-action with the lift or heel 5 which may be formed in the usual manner and is to be of any desired thickness to suit the individual wearer. V

The detachable lift 5 formed of leather, rubber or other material, conforms to the shape, size curvature of the heel 1, and

is equipped on its upper surface with an upstanding projection 6 of less diameter than the cushion proper and conforming exactly to the size and shape of the seat or socket 3 of the heel 1, the projection 6 having a ers step and rendering the full cushioning value of the same, if formed of rubber, by reason of the fact that there are no fastening devices such as nails to interfere with the same. 7

In order to prevent the detachable lift from moving forward relative to the heel and thus becoming unseated from its engagement with the same, a retaining plate 8 is employed. to overlap the entrance opening of the lift seat in covering relation to the front face of the projection of said cushion, and to lie flat against the front face of the heel, which is the least noticeable place of the heel.

The retaining plate 8 may be formed by stamping from some suitable sheet metal, and is provided with an upstanding extension 9 having a longitudinally disposed slot 10 arranged vertically of the heel'l and along the center line thereof, and adapted to be held tightly against the heel by a short screw 11 which traverses the said slot and may be'forced into the front face of the heel and is capable of being readily loosened to permit the plate tobeelevated for the purpose of uncovering the front face of the extension of the lift, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawing, wherein the said plate is shown elevated to permit the lift to be drawn forwardly and from its engagement with the seat. Ordinarily the screw is held tightly in place.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a'simple. means has beenprovided for the attachment of heel lifts which may be readily done by any person without any necessity for skill, as it is only necessary to loosen the screw 11 by one or two turns of the same,

when the retaining plate 8 maybe elevated by reason of the slot 10 and" the lift removed from its seat through the entrance opening thereof andanother-lift or cushion inserted in position,uwhen the plate may be lowered and the screw tightenedagain.

What is claimed is: I The combination with a'shoe heel having an undercut socket or seat formedin the bottom surface thereof, saidseat having an entranceopening at the front wall of the heel, of a heel lift conforming'in shape to the bottom of the heel and having a projee tion on the top thereof, said projection having a peripheral outstanding,locking flange to beengaged in said seat, the front end of the lift lying substantially flush with the front of the heel, and a lreeper plate adapted to bear against the front of the projection to hold the lift in said seat, said plate having an upstanding arm with'a longitudinal slot for the reception of a screw entering the front wall of the heel to bind the plate in position. V

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflix'ed my signature.

MOSES LAMPKIN. 

